Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-01-21

hand. and no team could be had All the
horses were at work ON the crops, and it
began TO appear that old Riley must either
lose money on the contract by hiring horses
and mules and teamsters at ruinous prices
or forfeit the contract itself He tried in
every direction to get mules and wagons
offering twice the usual wages, but still he
could get very few He was in real troub
le. with a loss of several thousand dollars
threatening him.
One day Hamp, who knew what trouble
Riley was in, went down ~ the creek, and
cutting several twigs, began setting them
up ut II distance from each other, and sight
ing from one to the other The few team
sters who were at work watched him curl
ously, but could not make out what he was
doing. He went up the creek with his
sticks, moving one of them at time, and
always carefully sighting from one to an
other, or rather from one over another to
II third. In this way he worked up to the
quarry, which was Immediately on the
creek, nearly mile above the point where
the bridge was to be built. When he had
done he walked back, examining the banks
as he went. Then he presented himself be
fore Riley Vaughn.
Mr.. Vaughn he said "Tve an idea
that will help you out Of your difficulty
"Will il hire teams 10 haul stones Z" said
Riley
without teams
IF it will-well let me hear what it is"
said Riley, changing his purpose while
speaking.
Raft the stones down. said Hamp.
Now look a-here, Hamp See, said old
| Riley, GIVE stood up for you, an said you
want no Ounce when everybody else said
| you was but this here looks as eff they
was right an ! was wrong How in ma
| tur kin raft stone down creek that amt
| got moren six inches of water in it, bub
bin around among the stones of the bot
| tom"
well you See" said Hamp, "I've level
ed up from here 10 the quarry, and there's
only two feet fall, or a little less, and the
banks are nowhere less than five feet high
and so as there's a good deal more water
running down in a day than anybody would
think it's my notion to build a temporary
dam just below the bridge-you've enough
timber and plank here TO do it with two
| hours work Of your men-building il, say
six feet high there where the banks are
closes together. Before noon tomorrow.
the water will rise to the top of the dam,
and run over. When il does, you'll have
six feet of water here and four feet at the
quarry, and your men can push RATS down
as fast as they can load them
How do you know there's only two foot
fall p asked old Riley eagerly
1--WE leveled it, said Hamp.
That is. you figured it out with them
sticks ("
Yes"
Are you sure you've got the right an
swer p asked the old man, wild with ca
gerness
Perfectly sure You see it's simple
plant my sticks
Never mind how you do it. l cant un-
derstand that if you explain it but look
me in the eyes, boy This thing means
thousands Of dollars to Riley Vaughn if
you've got your answer right | kin un-
derstand that much an ef you We worked
out this big sum right for me, I'll choke the
next man that says you're IA Ounce, Jest
kase you don't take kindly to old Penrud-
docks chatterin' sort o learnin'. I'll do it,
or my name amt Riley Vaughn, an that's
what I've been called for nigh onto 80
yeaI now"
Old Riley was visibly excited. He called
all his men to the place selected and set
them at work building the dam, while
Hamp looked ON and occasionally made Il
suggestion for simplifying the work. The
dam was finished at 3 O'Clock in the after
noon. and at six o'clock the water had risen
two feet six inches, while the back water
had passed the quarry.
"There," said Hamp, that proves my
work The water is level, of course, as far
up as back water shows itself, and we have
six inches of back water at the dam, so the
fall is two feet
at looks so, said Riley, who was also
eagerly watching the rise of the water
| Tho haA bnna oil of than
convinced that this attempt to back the wa
ter mile up the creek was the widest
foolshness but old Riley and Hamp waited
and watched.
1T don't rise so fast now" said Riley
That's because it has larger surface !;
but it still rises and the surface won't in
crease much now, there's a steep place
Just above the quarry, and it can't back any
further up
The two waited and watched. Midnight
came, and the measurement showed
three feet six inches depth at the
dam Still they waited and watched, At
6 o'clock in the morning the depth was four
feet two inches. Then Riley sent a negro
boy to his house with orders to bring back
"a big breakfast for tive" At o'clock
the breakfast arrived ana the measure
ment showed four feet three inches and a
half
Its risin faster again, said Riley.
Yes the level is climbing straight up
the bluff bank, aud not spreading out as it
rises, said Hamp
At . o'clock the depth was four feet,
eight and half inches, and the men at the
quarry had a raft ready, and were begin
ming TO load it, Ten o'clock brought four
feet eleven inches of water and at noon
there were five feet and four inches.
I've missed it a little, said Hamp. 81
said the water would run over the dam by
noon, and it still has eight inches to rise be-
fore dom that.
We'll. that sort of a miss don't count,
said Riley You've worked the sum out
right, anyhow, an the waters deep enough
for raftin', and still a risin', It'll go over
the dam in two or three hours more, and
I'll do what said I'll choke any man at
says John Hampton Sees Ounce or any
, thing like it,
AN that amt ALL" said the old man,
rising and striking his fist in the palm of his
hand They've been a sayin' that ole Riley
| Vaughn didn't vally edieation; now III
show them. I'm a-goin' to build Vaughn q
Sees foundry an agricultooral implement
factory right down the creek there, an put
a big lot o improved machinery in it an
I'm a-goin to send my pardner, John Hamp
0en Dee, OH next week 10 ktJ .itSi u
his edication where they sell the sort o edi
cation as is good for him-not lot o words
, but principles an facts.
"You tell your mother you're agoin' &c
New York right away, boy, and at old Ri
ley Vaughn's a-goin' to foot all the bill,
5 outer your interest in the comm factory
You'll study all sorts of iggerin' work and
machine principles in the big school in New
p York, what's called the school of mines
? an then you'll go to all the big factories an
things"
J This scheme was carried out Ham,
? spent three years in study and returned an
D accomplished mechanical engineer. He
5 went into the factory as old Riley's partner
and his work has been to improve machine
t ~ and processes The firm own many
4 patents now ON things of his own nven
e ton, and the factory is the centre of 1
e prosperous region, in which Hampden Se'
is an especially respected citizen. -Hdr
peI'S Young People.
4 When the Pilgrim Fathers hear that Ply
mouth has had dance in honor of thel
landing they viii be sorry they landed
a philadelphia CGH
o An East End grocer got new pair o.
e scales and drew large crowds to his stor'
q by putting out sign reading "Prett.
q or;,.ls ,r;yar a ,s.airh - J1ffqbu10 Chronicle